Warrington Township has received a $1 million Redevelopment Assistant Capital Program Grant Award to support growth and expansion of its new police building.
The Warrington Board of Supervisors enthusiastically discussed the grant and how the money will be used at the Aug. 13, public meeting.
According to Township Manager Barry Lubin, the project team is appreciative for the assistance of Rep. Todd Polinchock and Sen. Maria Collett for their vital assistance in helping Warrington Township secure the grant. The Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program (RACP) is a Pennsylvania grant program for the acquisition and construction of regional, economic, cultural, civic, recreational, and historical improvement projects.
Work on Warrington’s new police building is under way and the current schedule anticipates completion of the 18,000-square-foot facility by summer of 2020.
The Police Department and the Township Administration have both been housed in a 15,000-square-foot building since 1993. With a growing township population overall, the police department has more than doubled its size to support the community since moving into the existing facility.
The new police building will be on township-owned land adjacent to the existing Police and Administration Building off Easton Road. The new facility will have a secure detention area (sally port, processing area, holding cells), state of the art security as well as high-density storage capabilities for files and evidence.
It will be ADA-accessible and have green building inclusions such as solar panels and energy-saving building systems. Plans also are set to have a public safe area for e-commerce exchanges, video arraignment capabilities and also a kennel for the canine officers’ use.
Present plans have included consideration of over 10 technical bids from general contractors as well as numerous bids submitted separately pertaining to other building trades such as electrical, plumbing/HVAC, and safety systems.
Following additional evaluation for scope coverage and technical capabilities, project team leaders had the intent to award contracts to low-bidders that met township and project standards. The board of supervisors is considering the finalization of $6,587,459 as a working number that encompasses the initial total group of individual winning bidders and trades.
According to Lubin, $320,000 of the grant is being used from the start to initially cover a difference between the bid actuals and the early budget estimates. The remaining $680,000 will be used to help with build-out, final space decisions and other spacing considerations that are under consideration.
The amount also includes a planned reservation of approximately $90,000 to cover unexpected changes, emergency items or outstanding project-driven expenses.
